Easy Christmas Salad

A salad is not a typical food you’d find on the Christmas dinner table. But this salad holds its own…The colours, the contrasting textures, the sweet & fruity flavours…this recipe has it all. Add this Christmas salad to your Christmas dinner menu, and even better, it takes 15’ to make!

This week I have been cooking & shooting a lot of Christmas recipes including this tasty & crunchy salad. During the festive season, I make more sweet recipes and I indulge my sweet tooth more than normal. After all December is celebration time! But if you eat healthy the rest of the year, like me, you will still want to eat some healthy foods over the holidays which is why I wanted to share some healthy recipes so you won’t feel guilty for indulging so often.

This Christmas salad has a fruity taste because it has pear and clementine slices. It goes really well with these type of salads: rocket, spinach, water cress or red leaf. Choose your favourite. The Cranberries add a Christmassy touch.

What makes this salad so special? The answer is candied walnuts. To caramelize the walnuts you need 5’ and with just honey and brown sugar you make these delicious candied walnuts. They are practically irresistible and add a crunchy factor to this Christmas salad. Your guests will ask for seconds!

Healthy, vegan & gluten-free! This salad is the perfect addition to your Christmas dinner menu. Wondering what other appetisers to enjoy on Christmas day? Below are some appetizers I’m going to add to my Christmas menu.

The colours, the contrasting textures, the sweet & fruity flavours…this easy Christmas Salad has it all. Add it to your Christmas menu now!

Course: Salad

Servings: 8

Author: Shoot The Cook

Ingredients

3cupsof green leaves: rocket, spinach, water cress or red leaf.

1/4cupof cranberries, halved

1clementine, peeled

1/2pear, finely sliced

1/4cupof cranberries

Candied Walnuts

1/2cupwalnuts

1/2Tbspof brown sugar

1Tbsphoney (agave syrup and maple syrup also work)

Clementine Dressing

1Tbspof olive oil

3Tbspof clementine juice

1Tbspof balsamic vinegar

1/2Tbspof mustard

2Tbspof honey

1/2tspof salt

Instructions

How to make 5’ candied walnuts

Heat the honey and sugar in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the walnuts and cook for 5’, stirring frequently so your mixture doesn’t burn and walnuts are coated. Transfer immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper and separate the nuts right away. Refrigerate for 15’ and they will be super crunchy.

For the dressing

Heat the honey in a pan or microwave. Pour it in a jar with the rest of the ingredients. Shake until well combined.